maria_tro

About me

Name: Maria Trostyanskaya
Major: Political Science, and The Government
Experience with computer: pretty experienced when working with general programs (nothing specific); quick-learner/ self-explorer
Experience with art: not too experienced; occasional interest
Interesting about me: I would rather explore things on my own and make mistakes than have people tell me the "simple short" way
Artistic interest: I enjoy war time art; sketches and drawings made by ordinary people

Week 1 Homework

The article definitely highlights a lot of the copyright nuances. Prior to reading this article, I have never realized the complexity of the copyright system.
It is clear that the system is very tricky, and it is essential to be aware of the issues that may arise when incorporating someone else work (even accidentally).
Besides, I really enjoyed the way the article was structured in terms of the order of the questions and concerns presented throughout the entire discussion.
All of the ideas are relevant to the current state of popular culture. Below you will find my thoughts and examples of bad appropriation, stealing, and fair use
from my knowledge and observations in the recent years.
I never thought about the constitutional goal of copyright prior to reading this article that is “to encourage people to make and distribute new works” (p. 29).
This idea made me think about copyright from another perspective: not only as the way of protecting one’s work from stealing and appropriation but also as one
of the tools of the promotion and diversification of the art works. One of the examples I can think of speaks to the russian social website, VKontakte. Until recently,
any kind of music was available for VK users. Any user was able to listen to music, add the songs to their own playlists, and even download them. However, in the
past year or so, the popular artists started reporting on the illegal usage of their music. These separate cases were followed by music companies Universal Music Russia
and Warner Music filing appeals against social network that led to two consequences. First of all, most of the popular songs were removed from the music database of
the social website. Secondly, new remixes of the popular songs appeared on the website that speaks to the idea of encouraging people “to make and distribute new works”.
Another example of bad appropriation(and, possibly, stealing) comes from a couple months ago when my instagram picture was used on the instagram page of the cafe I
used to work at.The picture was very vivid and it reflected the fun atmosphere that was in the store that day. Personally, I would not mind providing my photo to the admins
of that Instagram page. However, besides the fact that noone referenced that photo, I was not asked the permission to use it, and I did not know someone used it until I
found it on the cafe’s instagram page.
Finally, “… creativity is impossible without a rich public domain…… Nothing today, likely nothing since we tamed fire, is genuinely new: culture, likely science and technology
grows by acceration, each new creator building on the works of those who came before.” (p. 33). While the article highlights the importance of raw material for other artists
to create their work, the fact that most of the new works are built on the previous works is somewhat disappointing. Among such examples are the movies Tarzan (2013) which
is the “modern” version of Tarzan (1999), or the episodes of Star Wars that keep coming out in the past two years and based on the same plot as the earlier movies. As a person
who watches a lot of movies, especially those, that were released in the beginning of XXI century, it is very disappointing to see the “modern” versions of the movies as the creators usually incorporate jokes and dialogues relevant to the modern society that leaves out the values and the important lessons that the older version of the movie was carrying.

Presence/ Absence Exercise

Project 1: Surrealist Composite

Historical Photo.

Used it for one of the mermaids. Also, cut the birds from this picture.

Used it to situate mermaids, and the composition as a whole.

Base of water element.

Put this into the hands of the man instead of the ball.

Under one of the mermaids.

Under one of the mermaids.

Mermaids.

Mermaid.

Final background.

Surrealist Composition. Final Version.

Cinemagraph

Indian Ocean. March, 2016.

Manovich Homework

Questions:

Do the real space and the dynamically presented information add up to one single coherent phenomenological gestalt
or are they processed as separate layers?
l when are information and space perceived independently from each other — would you still call these occurrences Augmented Space?
l when are information and space perceived as separate but related layers?
l And when and why do they add up to one single gestalt?



In the article, The poetics of augmented space, Lev Manovich emphasizes that the perception of information and space as one coherent gestalt
depends on whether we want to create a significantly different experience, or to add new information to the existing one: “ ….. whether we
should understand a particular situation in terms of immersion or augmentation depends on how we understand the idea of addition: we may
add new information to our experience – or we may add an altogether different experience”(p. 225). For example, reading a text message while
being in the park, on a metro, or at an important meeting might add new information to the existing experience, thus, diversifying the perception
of the space through the new feelings and emotions by immersing two independent layers into one space. Receiving a romantic text while walking
in the park in a beautiful weather creates an augmented space. However, one might be so overwhelmed by the romantic text that she/he would
completely forget about the space she/he is in, and focus on the information. Thus, one might separate him/her - self from the current experience
in order to engage into the other one, consciously or unconsciously.

I believe, that L. Manovich will respond similarly to the second question. There is no doubt that when information and space are perceived as separate
but related layers, these occurrences can still be called Augmented Space. However, unlike the independent perception of information and space, there
is less chance that the individual would want to create a completely new experience out of the information received. In other words, related layers will
complement one another. For example, listening to the lecture about architecture or constructions while walking in the street. If the individual is
interested in architecture, then, it is most likely, she/he will try to apply the information she/he just heard to the space she/he is currently in.

To answer the final question, the layers add up to a single gesture any time when the user can and would like them to do so. Whether he/she wants
to perceive the information completely separate from the space, or wants to add up two experience depends on the individual, and her/his ability to
absorb the information and the space simultaneously. Lev Manovich talks about shopping malls in urban areas that are covered with electronic screens
and signs. Depending on the background the observer is coming from, she/he might become completely overwhelmed by the individual layers of
information, or experience the information and the space as one gesture. This is one of the possible reasons why there are occasions when the
information and the space contradict, or seem to contradict, one another. In such cases, the layers cannot add up to a single gesture, requiring the
observer to perceive the layers of information and the space individually, or putting in an extra effort to put both layers into one single coherent gesture.

To sum it up, I would like to point out that the concept of Augmented Space allows one to experiment with a variety of layers, and create the experiences
she/he is able perceive.


Final Project Documentation
General Description
The goal of this project was to show the shift in my perception of life in GWU by reflecting on 4 locations on campus, and especially, my experience related to them, over 4 years: freshman dorm (Thurston Hall), Political Science Department( PSC Dept), library (Gelman library), and University Yard (UYard). I did not aim to focus on the experiences directly related to the specific locations. In addition to comparison of my perception of the specific place 4 years ago and now, in this project I incorporated such aspects as personal values, importance of the priorities, constant struggle to grow and become independent. The main aim of the project was to convince the observer to realize the variety of emotions, and personal reactions one can experience in relation to any given space. Even though this project aims to tell a narrative, I believe that my project is multi dimensional, and represents variety of perspectives, and voices of college students.In the following section I describe the technical details of the main components of the project. I divided into the subsections (Audio, Video, Photos/ Pictures, Text, & Tools),each of which is divided into 5 groups (Thurston Hall, Gelman Library, & UYard). As a visual aid, I provide screenshots and short videos in the end of the detailed description.
Technical Details:
1. Audio Components-> Sources: archive.org; acapela-box.com; oddcast.com; personal collectionThurston Hall:the audio for the intro statement, that says: "The place you don't want to be at, OR the short introduction of how I started the 4 years of torture by living in a place I did not like, with people I could not handle", was generated through acapel-box. The following audio support is generated from the parts of the cartoon "Make Mine 1948", "Axel Crazy Frog", and " Inside Out Deleted Scene" taken from archive.org. Gelman Library: the audio for the statement that says:" This is a good place that offers your a printer, sometimes filled with paper, and a stapler, sometimes filled with staples" were generated through oddcast.com. Music: Marshmallow - Alone. PSC Dept: The audio for the intro statement that says: "Whatch out! You just entered the political arena. Stay focused, and don't talk to political leaders" was generated through oddcast.com. The kids' voices were modified from "Kids React to Election 2012"UYard: the audios for the final statements that say: "I still don't quiet get the purpose of the UYard. However, you can cut your way through it, or maybe study and get distracted. Or just sleep there on a nice day..... And, then, you wake up. wake up after 4 years of undergrad, and its time to get out of DC. RUN" were generated through oddcast.com. Part of the speech on the important things is taken from "The Philosophy Professor".
2. Video Components-> Sources: archive org; personal collectionThurston Hall: parts of the final version of the video were taken (and modified) from the following cartoons: "Make Mine 1948","Inside Out Deleted Scene"; the intro to the project comes from personal collection.Gelman Library: parts of the final version of the video were taken form "Nisekoi S2. Episodio 10", "Girl's Scout Book Camp", "Infinity Train".PSC Dept: animated reflection on my experience was found in the parts of the following cartoons: "Three Ring Government" by Schoolhouse Rock; "Duck and The Turtle".UYard: personal collection short videos;

3. Photos/ Pictures
-> Sources: personal collection; Google Images
Thurston Hall: personal collection;
Gelman Library: personal collection; Google Images
PSC Dept: personal collection; Google Images
UYard: personal collections of photos from around campus Yard, and form back home

4. Text & Signs
-> Sources: personal scripts;
Thurston Hall: personal scripts
Gelman Library: personal scripts
PSC Dept: personal scripts; wax museum exhibition
UYard: personal scripts

5. Tools
The entire project was created and generated with the help of Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Premiere, and presented through Aurasma.

Visual Aid for Documentation:

1. Thurston Hall

Part 1. Thurston Hall : Trigger Image.

Intro to the project: "Sometimes I'm wondering if any of the thingsI've experienced in the past 4 years are worth my emotions,the time that I could have spent with family, and friends. Well,maybe.... But my kids will never go study abroad. Noone deservesthis kind of emotional experience".

Part 1: Title. Made in Photoshop.

Door to my freshman "cell".

Freshman year room. One of the photos from the freshman year I used.

"Welcome to our rows, number 1313..." - from "Make Mine 1948"

Title Slide to the 2nd part of the video: How do I see this freshman dorm 4 years later, and why I do not like it that much....

2. Gelman Library

Part 2. Gelman Library : Trigger Image.

Part 2: Title. Photoshop.

Reflection on how important Gelman was for me back when I was a freshman: scene from Nisekoi in which the girl is running through the school, withall of the chairs and desks flying up into the ceiling.

Intro to my personal perception of time spent in Gelman back then. "So what do you say you do here exactly?"

Transition to the comparison part: how do I see Gelman now, and why I try avoiding it.

Once you get in there, the library monster will follow you not letting to leave the library... Scene taken from "Infinity Train" by Owen Dennis.

In fact, while in school, you spend more time in the library than anywhere else...

3. The Department of Political Science

Part 3. Department of Political Science: Trigger Image.

Intro to the part 3 of my project. " It sounded like a great idea in the beginning. Now, I can't even go home and feel safe back there because of my major... #becauseIamfromRussia ".

Hallway in the department of PSC. The posters, and figures are take from the pics made in the wax museum, and added on to the original photo of the department in Photoshop.

I used scenes from the "Three Circles Government" to reflect on my perception of the political science, and politics (in general), 4 years ago.

Title to the comparison part of the episode, in which I reflect on the difficulties and fears I can be facing, considering my country of origin and my nationality.

Transition to the last step of my project.

4. The UYard.

Part 4: UYard: Trigger Image.

I start this part of the project by walking through the UYard, paying attention to what's happening around the Yard. (Reflected through the video)

Part 4: Title. The UYard.

After I show what kind of things people can do in the Yard, I go to the part in which I reflect on why there is not reason for me to stay in DC. In this part, it is not the shift of the perception of the UYard is shown but rather the overall shift in the values and attitudes after 4 years of college.

I use the parts of the audio form "The Philosophy Professor" to reflect on the important things I've been missing out on in the past 4 years. It serves as a conclusion to my project, and an answer to the statement I made as the intro to this project.

Thank you for you for your attention, and patience, I guess. This project is not perfect but it leaves a room for the audience to relate to the ideas I reflected on. Besides, it presents the major idea behind the project in the way that is most accurately reflects my personal experience.